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Potato Breeding at the Scottish Plant Breeding Station and the Scottish Crop Research Institute: 1920–2008

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Abstract

Seventy-two potato cultivars have been bred at the Scottish Plant Breeding Station and the Scottish Crop Research Institute since 1920. The original genetic base contained resistance to wart disease and to viruses, but not comprehensive resistance to all strains. Introgression of resistance genes from the wild and cultivated potato species of Latin America started for late blight in 1932, for viruses in 1941 and for potato cyst nematodes in 1952. Just seven of the 219 wild tuber-bearing species recognized by Hawkes in 1990 feature in the pedigrees of our cultivars, with Solanum demissum for blight resistance in 58, S. vernei for nematode resistance in 19 and S. microdontum for Potato virus Y resistance in 15, the other four species being S. multidissectum, S. commersonii, S. maglia and S. acaule. Resistance to other fungal and bacterial diseases has been mainly due to chance rather than deliberate breeding. From 1970, selection for yield and quality included processing quality, and despite lack of commercial success, prospects remain good for cultivars resistant to sweetening during cold storage. Since 1990 prebreeding has combined desirable traits through efficient recurrent selection based on progeny testing and provided parents for the commercially funded breeding of finished cultivars. Only one cultivar is a Neotuberosum–Tuberosum hybrid, whereas 15 cultivars have the H1 gene for resistance to Globodera rostochiensis introgressed from group Andigena. Long-day Phureja cultivars are finding a market niche for their flavour attributes. Breeding strategies and methods are critically reviewed from a genetic viewpoint.

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Abbreviations

CPC:

Commonwealth Potato Collection

NL:

National List

PCN:

Potato cyst nematode

PLRV:

Potato leafroll virus

PMTV:

Potato mop-top virus

PVX:

Potato virus X

PVY:

Potato virus Y

QTL:

Quantitative trait locus

SCRI:

Scottish Crop Research Institute

SPBS:

Scottish Plant Breeding Station

SSRPB:

Scottish Society for Research in Plant Breeding

TRV:

Tobacco rattle virus

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Acknowledgements

Funding from the Scottish Government (Rural and Environment Research and Analysis Directorate) is gratefully acknowledged, as are discussions on potato breeding over many years with colleagues, particularly George Mackay and Finlay Dale.

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  1. Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK

    John E. Bradshaw

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Bradshaw, J.E. Potato Breeding at the Scottish Plant Breeding Station and the Scottish Crop Research Institute: 1920–2008. Potato Res. 52, 141–172 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11540-009-9126-5

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